Berlin  - One of the three ships seized by pirates off the Somali coast was a German freighter, officials in Berlin indicated Friday.

A foreign office spokesman in Berlin confirmed that a ship belonging to a German shipping line had disappeared in Somali waters.

However, the freighter was not sailing under a German flag but is registered in the Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda, the official said. The name of the shipping company has not been released.

The foreign office said there were no German citizens on board the freighter. dpa( )